Slinky Dog Rope Drop is a Living Hell

[gharter]

I know Star Wars is coming and it's going to be amazing - BUT I have to say I wouldn't waste my time right now going to Hollywood Studios. Haven't been to Toy Story Land. I don't have kids, which of course means nothing because you can certainly enjoy it kidless, and to me and from what I've seen Toy Story Land looks kinda' cheap like just a step or two above carnival style. The only thing I like to experience there at this point is TOT, RNR, Fantastmic, and that's it - not really worth a ticket. I used to love this park and I'm hoping once everything is finished I'll feel that way again. I liked Great Movie Ride but it was quite outdated, I've seen Indiana Jones so many times I don't dislike it but don't feel the need to repeat it every trip or even every 3 trips. Not interested in Voyage of the Little Mermaid any longer. I do like the Beauty and the Beast stage show but it's not a must do for me. Muppets - totally over it. I miss the streetmosphere actors and the old hollywood vibe... I just feel like this part is in the middle of an identity crisis.

Its probably my least favorite park, but there is still enough to go and enjoy.

RD when SWGE opens is going to be scary. I suspect the crowds will be even larger.

For the OP, when we were there, it was a free for all till you got stopped at Sunset BLVD. At least there weren't a huge number of people through the turnstiles at once.
There were CMs holding the line back at that point. They walked us to TSL. Now there still were idiots who were pushing and trying to get to the front of the group. Nowhere near the chaos that you encountered.

 

[Mome Rath]

I think this is why the strategies need to be different with different group make-up's and different ages. I RD all the time for FoP, and I'd do it for SDD if I wanted to, but I would never do either one with a stroller, let alone two strollers, the strategy just doesn't hold up under those circumstances. It does make a difference if the CM's block everyone and walk extremely slow back to whatever ride is being rushed, and I do think they should do that more often, it would seem to be the simplest and best "fix" and one which they have done plenty of times before.

 

[Magical2017]

I just need to rant. We were the good guys. We showed up at 7:45 for a 9am park opem. We were literally the first in line at the turnstiles. Right at the front of the rope drop crowd. We started walking when they said to and then the chaos began. People were running all around us, shoving the side of the stroller with my baby in it, cutting between me and my husband with the other stroller so I had to slow down to find him. Now we are at the end of a 90 minute line, hundreds if people in front of us when we have already waited 90 minutes. I want to cry. People are awful. I thought rope drop cast members were supposed to make people walk.

I am sorry this happened to you! I hope you have a great trip, anyway. Sorry people were so rude.

 

[Tink_83]

I’m beginning to think I’m going to approach Disney like I do with cable shows I like or video games... I’m going to actively avoid anything new, wait 3 to 5 years after its opened, and then add it to my touring schedule. Same with TV shows like walking dead, you can get it a season behind on Netflix for less money, or video games, if your always a generation behind the games are less expensive and are still “new” to you... except the “cost savings” here is my time and effort making it to these hard to get attractions - of course I might have to really wait a decade or so for this plan to actually work (or it may never work - but FP for 7DMT are now easier to get then they once were)!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I just need to rant. We were the good guys. We showed up at 7:45 for a 9am park opem. We were literally the first in line at the turnstiles. Right at the front of the rope drop crowd. We started walking when they said to and then the chaos began. People were running all around us, shoving the side of the stroller with my baby in it, cutting between me and my husband with the other stroller so I had to slow down to find him. Now we are at the end of a 90 minute line, hundreds if people in front of us when we have already waited 90 minutes. I want to cry. People are awful. I thought rope drop cast members were supposed to make people walk.

We witnessed some of this RD SDD last November on a non EMH morning. We were by echo lake and had to bee line over to TSL, CM cut off certain points of access to really funnel us through which I wished they told people to not run and be kind. When people starting running and stepping on stroller wheels, got hit with stroller wheels (which I get when it's that tight you can't do much) me and my husband were not happy but we're not gonna run or harm people and especially children to get to a ride. It's insane. The people that run and hit your kids make me angry. We made sure we held our daughters' hands and walked to TSL. But it must not have been as busy a day, we only waited about 30 min after the line formed so as crazy as it was, we lucked out.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We witnessed some of this RD SDD last November on a non EMH morning. We were by echo lake and had to bee line over to TSL, CM cut off certain points of access to really funnel us through which I wished they told people to not run and be kind. When people starting running and stepping on stroller wheels, got hit with stroller wheels (which I get when it's that tight you can't do much) me and my husband were not happy but we're not gonna run or harm people and especially children to get to a ride. It's insane. The people that run and hit your kids make me angry. We made sure we held our daughters' hands and walked to TSL. But it must not have been as busy a day, we only waited about 30 min after the line formed so as crazy as it was, we lucked out.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would be pretty upset too. When we do RD (we only arrive 5-10 minutes before park opening) we go the opposite way of the crowds. I've never RD a tier one ride.

At my first onsite stay in 2009 we did RD at MK. I couldn't believe that people actually ran and knocked people over. It's a theme park. There's rides. Relax. This was before 7DMT so I can't even imagine what it's like now.

We were at DHS in November. The crowds going to TSL were insane. People were already pushing and getting crazy. I'm so thankful we chose to go towards RnRC.

 

[Jcon]

No I understood what you meant. I don't see how giving out a FP for any ride in the morning just because you showed up before X time is fair at all. Back with Legacy FP that's sorta how it ended up with more in-demand rides running out of FPs a lot sooner than others. What you're wanting is to go back to that even if you're only talking about RD aspect.

It's like Black Friday madness really is what you're wanting where you are given a voucher for something. No one absolutely no one wants to be the person who misses out on that voucher by being the unlucky person next in the line and the vouchers are all gone.

Even if you sub out the term FP effectively that's what your giving out. I just see a lot more disgruntled people that way.

If your goal is just that you ensure people who show up are in one line one after another in said one line so that you're just going with the order in which you got there there's a lot easier way of doing that then giving out FPs or a voucher. But again just my opinion.

Why would anything change? You get to the park first, you get to ride first.

And why would people be upset? "Yes, I see that there is a hundred people in front of me but I think I should get in first"?

And, it's not as though you won't get to ride, you just enter the standby line that opens at 15 minutes (or less ) after RD.

Basically, what I'm reading is that you believe that people should be allowed to push in front of others because they can run faster than others between the rope drop area and the ride.

The biggest issue is that there is a physical gap between where you stand at RD and where the ride enters. I don't think it's unreasonable to think that if you're at the front of the RD line, whether you get there fours early or twenty minutes early, that you get to ride first, regardless if you can run the fastest.

The current process provides an incentive to rush past people that are there early. Reduce the incentive and reduce the problem.

 

[fla4fun]

I would be pretty upset too. When we do RD (we only arrive 5-10 minutes before park opening) we go the opposite way of the crowds.

At my first onsite stay in 2009 we did RD at MK. I couldn't believe that people actually ran and knocked people over. It's a theme park. There's rides. Relax. This was before 7DMT so I can't even imagine what it's like now.

It hasn’t changed much since our trip when Space Mountain was the new ride and we got trampled just like the OP. I was a kid and terrified in that crowd trying to keep from getting separated from my parents. I think that’s why rope drop just isn’t my thing to this day. It’s very rare for me to be at a park before opening. Unless they do some sort of passholder preview, I don’t plan on setting foot in DHS for about a year or more after SWGE opens to see it.

There are always going to be selfish, entitled people willing to actually trample other people to get what they want. I plan to stay as far away from them as possible.

 

[DWillowBay]

Ugh. Disney needs to find a better way. I can't even imagine what the Star Wars rope drops will be like.

"THERE'S A STAMPEDE IN THE GORGE.......SIMBA'S IN THERE!!!" (Ensuing perilous music swells!)

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Not that it matters, but the late guest yesterday would have also been riding in the rain, FWIW.

A quick flip through the past week of TP data shows higher last hour wait times that still make your point, but the 18 min data point yesterday is a bit of an anomaly.

I checked the last three days for Slinky. The posted waits near the end of the day were 25, 40 & 18 which puts that 18 minute wait in the rain not too much of an outlier. All are much shorter and less stressful than any early morning wait.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Why would anything change? You get to the park first, you get to ride first.

And why would people be upset? "Yes, I see that there is a hundred people in front of me but I think I should get in first"?

And, it's not as though you won't get to ride, you just enter the standby line that opens at 15 minutes (or less ) after RD.

Basically, what I'm reading is that you believe that people should be allowed to push in front of others because they can run faster than others between the rope drop area and the ride.

The biggest issue is that there is a physical gap between where you stand at RD and where the ride enters. I don't think it's unreasonable to think that if you're at the front of the RD line, whether you get there fours early or twenty minutes early, that you get to ride first, regardless if you can run the fastest.

The current process provides an incentive to rush past people that are there early. Reduce the incentive and reduce the problem.

lol whoa there buddy you aren't actually reading anything correctly in what I'm saying.

But let's refresh:

People shouldn't shove, there should be more control and I agree more CMs (though that of course comes with paying those CMs),

I do agree that if you show up at RD you should be behind everyone else that was there before you but that should actually be the case whatever time you show up be that right at RD or 45mins before RD or 1hr before RD.

Please don't put words in my mouth

I haven't said anything about it being ok nor have I said anything about me actually wanting people to shove and push and run in front of others. In fact I've said the opposite. I think you want to believe I'm advocating for a free for all when in fact I'm not.

I disagree with your solution to the matter by giving people FP or voucher or whatever much less to any ride just because they show up in X order regardless of it being only the first 15mins of park opening. It is in direct contradiction to 3 FPs coming with your ticket, it's in direct contradiction to Fp @ 60 days or 30 days timeframe. I do believe in orderly fashion not a "get ahead of the line by going through a FP/voucher" simply because one showed up 1min earlier than the person before them.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Just seeing the photos of it makes me the sucker who pays for After Hours. HS is my favorite park, though, so I don't mind the price with an AP discount!

 

[FigmentSpark]

Disney could simply make a queue to TSL. You don't get in if you're not in the queue. Take it down after the hubub calms down.

 

[Jcon]

lol whoa there buddy you aren't actually reading anything correctly in what I'm saying.

But let's refresh:





Please don't put words in my mouth

I haven't said anything about it being ok nor have I said anything about me actually wanting people to shove and push and run in front of others. In fact I've said the opposite. I think you want to believe I'm advocating for a free for all when in fact I'm not.

I disagree with your solution to the matter by giving people FP or voucher or whatever much less to any ride just because they show up in X order regardless of it being only the first 15mins of park opening. It is in direct contradiction to 3 FPs coming with your ticket, it's in direct contradiction to Fp @ 60 days or 30 days timeframe. I do believe in orderly fashion not a "get ahead of the line by going through a FP/voucher" simply because one showed up 1min earlier than the person before them.

Yes, I've read what you've said but I guess I don't really understand your argument.

It doesn't contradict the 3 FP rule at all. All of those are booked before the time allocation on an electronic device. You do not physically need to be anywhere near the park to book a FP. To get the RD FP, you would need to be there first. It bridges the gap between the physical RD location and the ride and that's it. You're not getting a magic ticket or anything.

And, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, you get there a minute earlier, you ride earlier. What you're saying is that if you get there after me, as long as you can run and push ahead of me, you should ride first. I disagree with that.

 

[DisLiss]

Kind of misses the point. OP waited 90 minutes (or whatever) before the park opened, then had a bunch of people pass her and create a 90 minute line in front of her. She should have had first access, if she was first. Dis doesn't really care.

Even if WDW did care, what could they do to ensure the first person at Rope Drop got to their chosen ride first? I might be first at the park, but be a slow mover, so even if everyone else did walk calmly to the rides, they'd still be ahead of me, kwim? Cast members can't hold people back so I can stay 1st in line. It's one thing to say that WDW should work on ways to cut down on dangerous behavior, like pushing and running, because we don't want to see anyone hurt. I absolutely agree. But I don't know how they could ever possibly be able to guarantee that the first person to arrive in the park will get to be one of the first people on their chosen ride even if they wanted to do so.

We personally handle RD as many others have mentioned. Arrive early, and go in the opposite direction of wherever the current popular ride/land is located. At MK, that means we go anywhere but Fantasy Land, for instance. And once Galaxy's Edge opens, we'll probably head down Sunset Blvd. to get out of the RD crowd as fast as humanly possible. (Unless my husband gets his way, and we skip HS completely, LOL! He's definitely not a fan of battling through a crowd, can you tell? )

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yes, I've read what you've said but I guess I don't really understand your argument.

It doesn't contradict the 3 FP rule at all. All of those are booked before the time allocation on an electronic device. You do not physically need to be anywhere near the park to book a FP. To get the RD FP, you would need to be there first. It bridges the gap between the physical RD location and the ride and that's it. You're not getting a magic ticket or anything.

And, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, you get there a minute earlier, you ride earlier. What you're saying is that if you get there after me, as long as you can run and push ahead of me, you should ride first. I disagree with that.

OMG seriously I just said I don't believe in rushing ahead again it's like you want to believe that. Stop perpetrating that I'm saying that when I'm not. Maybe you just don't like that I don't agree with your suggestion? That's fine but please stop putting words in my mouth. It's not nice.

As for the FP thing another poster already discussed that aspect.

In any case I'm not sure you're going to get what I'm saying and as you continue to put words in my mouth we'll just agree to disagree and move on

 

[wdw&sonny]

I want to start by saying I do feel bad for the OP. No one wants to have a bad experience, especially at WDW. I also agree that people are unusually ruthless at WDW, based largely on the nature of a WDW vacation: very costly and limited time. WE all plan to make the best use of our time. Heck, this website is ALL about strategy to maximize our experience. This forum is called "Theme Park Attractions and Strategy". There are maps with the shortest distance to walk from the entrance to each attraction. There are companies that sell Touring Plans to be most efficient each day. There are posts upon posts about how to get more done. It's always a race.

I think expectations of I arrived at a park first, therefore, I should get to ride any ride I choose, first, is just ridiculous. NO, it should not be a free-for-all. I don't advocate pushing and shoving or being rude. You should not be allowed to run.

BUT...No way do I believe that anyone would walk behind a couple with two strollers from the entrance of HS all the way back to SDD without considering walking past them. Just NO WAY. How are they supposed to know that this foursome is headed to SDD? They could be headed anywhere. AND, no way should I feel that my pace should be dictated by the people walking in front of me. Some people walk faster than others. That's your right.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I figure this one is about to get locked up. Before it does I'll just say that we like to make things easy, not hard. Fighting through the rope drop crowd seems hard. Showing up later when it's less crowded seems easy. Problem solved.

 

[Jcon]

Even if WDW did care, what could they do to ensure the first person at Rope Drop got to their chosen ride first? I might be first at the park, but be a slow mover, so even if everyone else did walk calmly to the rides, they'd still be ahead of me, kwim? Cast members can't hold people back so I can stay 1st in line. It's one thing to say that WDW should work on ways to cut down on dangerous behavior, like pushing and running, because we don't want to see anyone hurt. I absolutely agree. But I don't know how they could ever possibly be able to guarantee that the first person to arrive in the park will get to be one of the first people on their chosen ride even if they wanted to do so.

We personally handle RD as many others have mentioned. Arrive early, and go in the opposite direction of wherever the current popular ride/land is located. At MK, that means we go anywhere but Fantasy Land, for instance. And once Galaxy's Edge opens, we'll probably head down Sunset Blvd. to get out of the RD crowd as fast as humanly possible. (Unless my husband gets his way, and we skip HS completely, LOL! He's definitely not a fan of battling through a crowd, can you tell? )

If I'm front in line at SDD and someone tries to push in front of me, would the CM stop them? Probably. So, why do we completely reject the idea they can't prevent it elsewhere? It's simply the process that WDW has set up that helps cause the problem.

I offered a solution to alleviate some of the issues but have not heard a counterargument that makes sense as to why it wouldn't work. There are probably dozens of other solutions that WDW could implement, if they chose to, where someone with a stroller or mobility issues, etc. wouldn't be disadvantaged because they can't move as quickly as someone who arrives at RD after them.

It also encourages the behaviour that the OP noted because the offenders are rewarded.

I don't do RD. No interest. But when I get to the front of a line, any line, I would pretty upset if WDW just let someone push in front of me and my family.